


Needless to Say

by SpicyPoliceman



Category: Mystery Skulls (Band), Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Reader is 18, Reader uses "she" pronouns, and possible smut later, keep your asscheeks clenched
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-05 12:06:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6703909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyPoliceman/pseuds/SpicyPoliceman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Falling for the gang’s sheepish mechanic wasn’t something you asked for or expected – but it happened. And you honestly didn’t know what to do with yourself or your unforgivable heart. Supressing your feelings is difficult when the source of it all is someone like Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Brake Switch?

**Author's Note:**

> I've noticed that there's a sad lack of Arthur/ Reader fics floating around the interwebs.

      “Hello?” You peeked into the repair shop with your dad’s motorbike by your side. He didn’t have the time to drop it off at Arthur’s, and since you had an hour or two to spare, you decided to pay him a visit. Looking into the shop, you saw that the Mystery Skulls Van was parked, but no one was in sight. For a second, you’d thought that maybe Arthur and his uncle had gone away somewhere without it. You called out again to make sure, a little louder this time, “Artie?”

      “Down here!” A voice finally came from beneath the van. You made your way to the front of the vehicle and saw his legs sprawled from underneath. Arthur grunted as he rolled himself out. ”You’re here pretty early.” He smiled and patted off his gloves as he stood from the roller seat. You could feel yourself relax at the sight of his smile because to be honest, they were pretty contagious. 

      “Hey, citrus boy. We had an early dismissal today. Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” You leaned a bit on the bike.

      “Not at all. I can always make the time.” He reassured you softly and removed his gloves, setting them on a workbench. “So what can I do for ya’ today, Y/N?”

      “Well, the rear light on my dad’s old bike doesn’t seem to be working anymore. He thinks the bulb might be busted.”

      “Alright, lemme take a look at it.”

      You stood by and watched silently as he diagnosed the vehicle. The top of his dark orange coveralls were unlatched and fell around his waist, leaving him in the grey tank top that he normally wore underneath. Eventually, your gaze went to follow the shape of his shoulders blades and downwards to his lower back. He wasn’t extremely _shredded_ or anything like that, but he was lean and certainly still fit- and you liked it like that. Hell, his back muscles alone were something very nice to look at.

      So sure, you had a bit of crush on him, _to say the very least_...But who wouldn’t? From your years of knowing him, he was nothing but sweet, humble, and kindhearted.  He wasn’t bad to look at either. He had that casual, slightly rugged kind of handsomeness. To say he was just “cute” was a _severe_ understatement. He was timid more often than not and his insecurities made him distant at times, but you never minded any of that. If anything, those traits only drew you in closer, in a way. He was a close friend before he was your crush and you only wanted the best for him. 

      Your gaze drifted to his mechanical prosthetic arm. He told you all about it once- the incident at the Cavern and the enigma it lead to. He told you about how his memory of that night was growing fuzzier with each day and how much that _scared_ him. He told you about the disappearance of Lewis and how Vivi forgot about Lewis entirely. Hell, he didn’t seem to care much about the amputation of his arm as much as he did about his missing best friend. Nothing about the incident made sense and you could tell that it stressed him out. He never did stop blaming himself for Lewis’ disappearance, but you knew that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. He blamed himself because he thought that it was all because of his envy- but everyone has envy in them. The night he explained everything, you ended up calling your parents and staying up with him, playing video games, watching movies, and laughing and crying about nonsensical shit to pass the time.

      You would have asked him if he’s been doing alright and if he’s been getting enough sleep, but you didn’t want to intrude or risk ruining his day. You’ve told him before that he could come to you in case he wanted to talk about it and you knew he would do just that, if anything. After all, you just wanted him to be happy. 

      Suddenly, you felt something nudge at your feet. Looking down, you spotted Galahad peering up at you, nose twitching. You smiled widely and leaned down to scoop up the hamster from the bottom of the wheels. “Hey there, buddy.”  You still found it amazing how Arthur was able to build prosthetics from scratch. You rubbed a bit of dirt off the hamster’s cheeks. Galahad always did have a tendency to go exploring around the shop. 

      “Y/N, I uh, I think I just found the source of your problem.” Arthur’s voice brought your attention back to him as he straightened himself and rested a hand on his hips. He’d unscrewed the handles of the bike and inspected the parts inside. “The brake switch is all worn down, it couldn’t pick up anything anymore. That's why the rear light isn't responding.” He held up a small part and you placed Galahad back down to take a closer look.

      You laughed softly as he handed you what you thought was some kind of bolt, “Pardon my lack of automotive expertise, but would that take a while to fix?”

      Arthur chuckled, “Not if we don’t have a replacement on hand. Luckily, I _think_ we've got a spare one that’s been lying around here for a while.” He went over to the cabinets and began to search through them, rummaging quickly through each drawer. Fortunately it didn’t take too long to find one, “Aha! Here it is. Now this is gonna be really quick fix.” You watched him tinker with the handle, screwing the new part in place. When it was secured, he put the handle back together and tested it. Lo and behold, the rear light started blinking. “Wasn’t too bad. That seems to be the only problem with it, so everything else is good to go.”

      “Thanks a ton. My dad’s been meaning to come by himself but he’s been too busy at the office lately, so I figured I’d take it over myself.”

      “No prob, Y/N. I'm always happy to help.” He smiled warmly and laid a hand on your shoulder before heading off to reorganize the tools he'd used and you found that you’d held your breath. You could feel that your cheeks had reddened at the subtle touch and you almost scolded yourself. You really did have it bad. His back turned, Arthur spoke up, “So how’s school going? That AP teacher still givin’ you a hard time?”

      You scoffed. “I feel like his class is getting worse by the day. I don’t mean to snobby or anything, but we spent the entire period today discussing why Danny DeVito could possibly be a vampire when we have a major exam coming up next week.”

      He looked over his shoulder to give you an empathetic, worried smile. “Yikes…” You never did figure out when it all started. It could've been from that one time he didn't let go when you came to him, ridden with tears over something an irrelevant girl said about your hair. Or maybe it was that one time you two couldn't stop laughing about a silly video and you had to call Uncle Lance because he almost choked on his goddamn corn dog.

      “Oh, hey, I almost forgot to ask! Are you going to be available this Saturday night? There’s a drive in theater nearby that’s marathoning the original Potluck Man movies and I was wondering if you wanted to tag along. “

      Arthur looked at you, his eyes wide with excitement. Hell, you could’ve sworn you’d seen a sparkle in them too. You knew he was big fan of action movies- particularly Potluck Man, so you figured he’d want to know about the event. “Even Potluck Man 3 Unedited?”

      You smirked. “Even Potluck Man 3 Unedited.”

      But then he frowned, “Ooh wait…ah geez, sorry, I-I just remembered that Vivi and I have an investigation planned that night. We’re gonna be going to the Pier to look for some lake monster that only comes out on a full moon. “He turned and leaned on the counter with his arms crossed. It's been discussed before that although it would be wonderful to have you tag along in their investigations, they could be dangerous sometimes and he wouldn't want you to get hurt.

      “Ah, well, it’s alright. You guys should go ahead and hunt for spooky things.”

      “Y-you sure?”

      “Yeah, of course.”

      “How about next Saturday, then? Maybe we can binge watch something if you’re free.”

      “I’ll be sure to keep that day open.” You chuckled. Suddenly you heard your watch go off: 4pm. You took the handle of your dad’s motorbike and prepared to take your leave, “Well, I should be going then. I don’t wanna hold you up any longer. Thanks again for fixing the old man’s bike. I’m sure he’ll be very happy to start using it again.”

      “Anytime. Give ‘im my regards, please? And take it easy, okay?”

      “Sure thing. And no promises there, but I’ll try.” You grinned as you turned to leave through the garage door, waving goodbye.

* * *

       That night, you laid there, staring up at your ceiling. You’d been looking forward to rewatching the Potluck Man movies with Arthur for a while, but you didn’t want to intrude on things that were already planned. Vivi’s investigation sounded like much more fun anyway. You rolled over in your sheets, staring out the window by the side of your bed. In some ways, you were quite envious of Vivi. Of course, it wasn’t because you despised her -no, she was like a big sister to you! You were jealous of the amount of time she got to spend with Arthur. You were jealous of the memories she, Arthur and Lewis all had together.

      In the end, Arthur must have been closer to _her_ than he was to _you_. So what could have stopped him from at least having some feelings for her at some point? After all, she was cute and quirky and engaging…everything you weren’t. You’d known him since you were 10, so Arthur probably only saw you as some pesky teenager or little sister at most and nothing more. You groaned and pulled the covers over your head. Why couldn’t you have fallen for someone easier? Someone your age? Someone in your league? Someone you would at least have a decent chance with?

      With these thoughts plaguing your mind, you struggled to drift to sleep. 


	2. Conflicted

      The next day, you got out of bed, stood in front of your mirror, and vowed that you would move on. You’d thought it over and decided that the situation was like trying to herd cats – a fool’s errand, in your case. You knew you were too much of a chicken to confront Arthur about your feelings, anyway. Who were you kidding; you were afraid of the rejection. You were afraid of ruining the friendship you already had with him. And what better way to prevent it than by avoiding the entire situation completely?

      Sure, you still had basically promised that you’d hang out next Saturday but that shouldn’t pull the brakes on your plan to” liberate” yourself. In fact, it may even be a starting point. 

* * *

      And so Saturday came sooner than you expected and you tried your best to remind yourself that this was just a regular day with blue skies and good vibes. Of course, that didn’t stop you from wanting to look presentable. You just wore a simple, oversized sweater with leggings and flannel tied around your hips. Your other friends had always complemented your shapely legs, so leggings seemed like a comfortable yet stylish choice for you. Before you so unwillingly developed feelings for wimpy cyborg, you honestly hadn’t cared much about what you wore around him. But now you’d grown slightly conscious…

      Making your way into the repair shop, you didn’t forget to drop by the garage, “Hi, Uncle Lance!” You greeted the mechanic, who was currently busy under a client’s Toyota, from the door leading into the lobby. You heard him give a grunt of acknowledgement, but that’s always normal. Of course, Kingsmen Mechanics was somewhat of a second home to you, so neither party minded having you over. Making your way upstairs, you could already hear Vivi and Arthur wrapped up in a video game.

      “Yo!” Muffled by a mouth full of chips and eyes glued to a game of Smash Bros., Vivi flashed you a peace sign.

      “Nice of you t’ finally come around.” Arthur quipped and teased. He had his controller in his lap. They both looked pretty comfortable with Vivi in a simple hoodie and baseball shorts and Arthur in a color block t-shirt and tapered sweatpants. From the foot of Arthur’s bed, Mystery raised his head to look at you and wag his tail. Galahad was sitting by Arthur, stuffing his face with a few sunflower seeds. 

      “You’re lucky I didn’t come with Starbucks.” You tossed your bag somewhere nearby and took a seat next to Vivi, who passed over the bowl of chips. Arthur’s room, for added measure, was relatively unchanged from the last time you were in it. It was neither neat nor messy, just a balance of both. Being the sentimental person he was, he had a shelf chock full of random items, like an old plastic dinosaur bank, that would seem unimportant to an otherwise third party. The walls and flooring were painted a warm, light beige. You noticed that the tools and papers on his desk, though still in a slight state of disarray, must have been organized recently. Other than that it looked like a normal room with...well, normal furniture. “So what’d I miss?” Mystery jumped down from the bed to trot over and settle by your side. Preoccupying yourself with giving the dog some good, old-fashioned belly rubs, you watched as Vivi fought out the last few NPCs.

      “Vivi won’t let go of the crown.” Arthur said in an accusatory tone.

      “Yep. I’ve won twenty games in a row.” Gaze still stuck on the screen, the bluenette smirked smugly.

      “I came close only _one_ time. One time!”

      You piped in and asked, “Viv, I thought you hated Smash Bros.”

      “Aw look, I never _hated_ it- just mildly disliked it, alright? Besides, it kinda grew on me. And Arthur, it’s only fair because _you_ keep winning at Mario Kart.”

      “Mmm, she has a point there.” You nodded with agreement. You hadn’t seen anyone beat him at Mario Kart before.

      He started, “Yeah but…well-…Okay, you got a point there.” He pursed his lips with a look that said ‘I don’t exactly have the right to oppose’.

      The TV's speakers roared with applause as Vivi finally defeated the last contender. She howled in triumph and threw her arms up with a whoop, “Aha! Make that 21 in a row!”

* * *

      The next few hours went by smoothly and naturally, you had your fun. It was just like any other day with them…well, excluding the event of Arthur RKOing a pillow and nearly breaking his shoulder. You’d ended up staying until 9pm. But as the day came to a close, for the first time around Vivi and Arthur, you felt…like a third wheel? You didn’t want to describe it as “third-wheeling”, but you felt a hint of exclusion from the two. Of course, it wasn’t because of anything they did or said because they wouldn’t do anything to make you feel left out. It was just that your head _had_ to go along and take note of every time laughed at and with each other, of every time they locked eyes, of every time they told you stories about some silly adventure they went on a few years ago. You didn’t like seeing them so differently because they were both your best friends. You knew for a fact that they weren’t putting you aside or deliberately making you feel this way. No, no, it was all internal. Yeah, that was it. It was just all in your head- it was just you over-analyzing the situation.

      You’ve never found yourself in this position before and it threw you off. Your affections for Arthur were making you feel…toxic. You needed to get over him and quick, before someone got hurt or before you said anything that you’d never mean to actually say. Because Arthur didn't need any more problems. Hell, he's still been stressing himself over finding Lewis- you didn't want to bring another thing for him to worry about in his life. 

      From then on, you tried steering clear of Kingsmen Mechanics entirely while trying not to seem too suspicious (which was difficult considering the fact that you only lived a block down). You needed to spend less time with Arthur- only until your linger thoughts about him finally went away and every little butterfly in your stomach faded into nothing. However, you knew you had to be especially tender and careful with how you executed everything because the last thing you wanted was to have Arthur feeling as if it was his fault or that he’s done something to hurt you. He was still the one of the sweetest people you’ve met and did not deserve to be misled for something that wasn’t his fault. 

      For the next month and a half, you’d walk by the shop on your way to the corner store and wave at him if he spotted you. You didn’t stop to have a conversation. Similarly, you limited how many times and how long you texted him, often saying that it slipped your attention. You tried distracting yourself with other things such as work or exercising- pretty much anything that would keep your mind off of him. The process was undoubtedly difficult because anytime something ridiculous happened, you’d text him and Vivi about it and wait for them to tell you what a dumbass you were or something like that.

      You couldn’t console Vivi about your predicament only because you didn’t want to drag her into it and have her feel the need be involved. You hated to keep secrets, but you couldn’t bring yourself to discuss it all with her. From time to time, you’d have to ask what exactly did you love about it _him_? Why go through all of this? Did you love him or the concept of him? Did you love him or just the thought of being with him? Then you’d just dig yourself a hole and list why it was all and none of the above.

* * *

       It was a somewhat chilly November weekday and you were heading off to visit the new record store down your street with your hands in your pockets and headphones around your ears.  It’s been about a week since you’ve talked to Arthur at all. He didn’t seem to suspect anything – at least that’s what you were able to discern from his behavior. Things were going well -

      “Y/N!” You froze and noticed that Arthur was making his way towards you. Just your luck. You removed your headphones as he came up to you, a nervous smile on his lips, “Uhh hey, w-what’s up? I um…I haven’t seen you much the past few weeks.” He rubbed his mechanical arm – something you found that he did whenever he was anxious. “Is-is everything okay?” He was approaching his question especially carefully. Your heart hammered in your chest with panic but you knew you had to act quickly.

      “Yeah, I’ve just been really busy lately. Sorry I couldn’t put the time aside to hang out with you guys. I really would, but my classes haven’t been letting up.” You smiled and rubbed at the back of your neck. But you couldn’t look him in the eye for long – not when you were _lying_.

      “It’s alright, you do you. No apologies needed. I-I just wanted to check if everything’s alright with you.” He was giving you that trademark, concerned look again. You could see that Arthur was not exactly satisfied with your answer. You were almost sure that he saw through you, but being as meek as he was, he didn’t want to press matters farther than you had already set it. “If there’s anything you need help with, you can always come to me, alright? It worries me to see you so stressed and um…uncharacteristically unavailable? “He laughed softly.

      “Nah, everything’s fine, I promise. Didn’t mean worry you that much.” You could have punched yourself in the gut if you weren’t out in public. You’ve been telling yourself to move on and let your feelings rest but when he said even the slightest thing about actually _caring_ for you- those feelings you fought so hard to suppress would bubble up all over again like an upset volcano.

      “Well y-yeah, you _are_ my friend, so I wanna make sure you’re doing okay.” _A friend_. You could feel your smile falter slightly. You felt your chest tighten and you were promptly reminded of why you must stop these feelings. Because of course he saw you as just a friend. There was a dull pain that you hoped you would not have felt after all of those weeks trying not to _feel_. It hit you like a train.  You exhaled a mental breath.

      “I know. Thank you, Arthur, I really do appreciate it.”

      He asked softly and gave a small smile, looking at you with those unbelievable, caramel orbs, “Just promise me you’ll take it easy.”  

      You grinned and made an” x” with your index finger across your chest, “Cross my heart. I’ll see you ‘round some other time, yeah?” As Arthur gave you a somewhat reluctant farewell, you were off on your way again.  

 

      Arthur got back into the driver seat as Vivi and Mystery watched Y/N disappear around a corner. That was odd. He wouldn’t intrude on any matters that want to remain unheard, but he was concerned. He’d never seen Y/N act so…strange and distant. He barely saw you in a weekday- how much more a weekend? He rarely got texts from you now too. Quite frankly, the recent lack of…well, _you_ in life was very unusual and he didn't like it.

      “Is something the matter with Y/N? She’s been acting weird lately…” Vivi frowned and gave him a critical look, “Did you do something?”

      Arthur shook his head, running a hand through his orange hair. “No! Or…I-I don’t know. Maybe? If that’s the case,  I don’t know _what_ I did that was wrong…I mean, she’s not even looking at me anymore…And I think she called me ‘ _Arthur’_. She doesn’t call me that under any normal circumstances, Vivi.”

      She and Mystery shared a look. “Hm…try to have a good talk with her – find out what’s bugging her. Because something’s got to be wrong- I know it.” He sighed as he started up the van’s ignition.

      “You know how I am with these things. Can you help me out?”

      “Yeeeaah, I don’t think this concerns me.”

      “W-what do you mean by that?” Arthur cocked a brow at her as he shifted into gear and maneuvered out of the driveway.

      She shrugged, “That’s for _you_ to find out.”


End file.
